Better Together
by cassidy0717
Summary: Natasha and Clint are finally together but it doesn't seem that way to them. Between missions, SHIELD and the Avenger's, the new couple barley get to spend much time together. That changes when they both get assigned a mission in Russia. Things don't exactly go as planned and after a series of events Natasha finds herself wondering if they truly belong together or not.
1. Seperated

**Author's note:**

Warning: If you are reading my other story 'Life Changing' there *might* be some major spoilers in this story relating to my other story.

Reminder: This is a sequel to 'Adjusting', it has nothing to do with 'Life Changing' so Natasha won't be pregnant in this story or one's to follow on _this_ side of the series. Enjoy! Review please and ask questions if you are confused with the two series!

* * *

A black arrow shot through the night sky and pierced right through the man's neck.

Marcus Carter was now alone. His last guard has fallen and Clint jumped down and approached. Shield agents started walking forward but Marcus took off. Clint followed. Fury wanted him alive so he slipped his bow over him and put back the arrow. Clint was always a fast runner so he wasn't even out of breath when he tackled him down. Marcus surprised him when he had a knife in his hand and as they went to the ground he shoved it in Clint's side. Marcus kicked him off but Clint showed no pain. Even as he slid the knife out and crouched with it in his hand. Marcus's eyes flashed as he panicked for a way out but he was surrounded again and this time SHIELD agents managed to take him down.

"Hawkeye, you okay?" Agent Daniel Payne asked.

"Yeah. Tell your guys thanks from me. They helped a lot." Clint smirked with sarcasm. Daniel knew Clint for a while even if they weren't exactly friends but Clint knew him enough to show his sarcastic side.

"Will do." Daniel smiled and gave a nod as he turned to walk away.

Clint placed a hand over his stab wound when he turned. He let out a deep breath and looked around before disappearing into the night.

* * *

Natasha faked a laugh. She was in Germany at a fancy party. She was wearing a long black dress that fit her well and drew attention to herself. Just what she wanted because soon enough Abel Harlan made his way to her.

He laughed at his own story and Natasha looked around as if nervous. "Would you like to get out of this crowd?" He asked and Natasha smiled. This was too easy.

* * *

Tony landed at the top of Stark Towers. It was late in the afternoon and he had JARVIS check if anyone was back yet.

"_No Sir._" JARVIS answered before the rest of the suit was off and Tony stepped inside. He let out a dramatic sigh as he made himself a drink.

* * *

"And that shows who you're tracking?" Steve asked. Maria Hill nodded and pointed at the screen again.

"Yes. We usually print the information out and you'll get a file explaining the mission, whose the target or what to do."

"And what does this mean?" Steve pointed again.

* * *

"Are you almost done Dr. Banner?" Fury asked as he stepped into the lap at the Shield base.

"Yes, just about."

"Ok, get it done."

* * *

Pepper zoned out briefly at a meeting that made her want to tear her hair out.

She found the simplest things boring now since living with the Avengers. She wondered what Tony was doing and had to force herself not to smile.

* * *

Clint left that afternoon but it was morning time there when he finally walked into the Shield base.

"Agent Barton, I suspect Marcus is all tucked away at their base?" Fury asked, stepping into stride with Clint right away.

"Yes, sir." Clint answered.

"Good. Medical said you got stabbed." Fury said peeking at him.

"I told them I was fine." Clint smiled. Of course Fury knew, he knew everything.

"Did you fix yourself up?" Fury asked knowing the agent hated going to the Infirmary. "Yes." He said.

"Do you want us to take a look?" Fury asked. Clint stopped walking suddenly and Fury had to turn around.

"Did I do something sir?" He asked.

"No, no. Rogers is in the Briefing Room." Fury said and walked off. Clint followed his movements until he was out of sight.

He looked around before walking again.

* * *

Steve was on a computer, trying to figure out how to make a video play that showed all the reports they had on someone. He kept clicking symbol at the bottom of the screen trying to make it play.

"I usually just hit the play button but if clicking the volume over and over is working for you…" Clint smirked. Steve turned around already smiling. Clint was leaning on the wall by the door with a back pack slung over one shoulder. He pushed himself away and walked closer.

"Welcome back." Steve said and rolled away slightly in his chair so the archer could click play.

"What are up too?" Clint asked and sat in his own chair next to him.

"Trying to figure out the mission protocols. Fury wants me to start being able to go out on my own missions alone if I have to."

Clint nodded. "Have you heard from everyone else?"

When he got his own mission after Natasha left, he knew that Bruce was spending a lot of time at the lab here and Steve was getting ready to leave to spend a few days here too.

"No. I know that me and Bruce are going back today but I don't know what everyone else is up too."

Clint nodded again. He wanted to know if Natasha was home but he let that go to the back of his mind.

"You ready to head out?" He asked. "Yeah, let's go get Bruce." Steve hit the volume again and it blasted from the speakers. Steve jumped and Clint resisted the urge to cover his ears. He leaned forward and stopped the video.

"We'll work on that." Clint decided before they laughed and stood up.

* * *

Bruce was packing his things from the lab and about to leave when Steve and Clint walked in.

"Hey guys." Bruce smiled. Even though Steve and him both stayed at SHIELD these past couple of days, they haven't seen each other. This was the longest the whole group was separated.

"Hey Doc." Clint smiled and poked at a blue liquid in a glass container.

"Ready to head out?" Steve asked.

"Yes. Didn't think I would ever say that I missed staying at Stark Towers."

Clint smiled. Neither did he.

* * *

Natasha walked into Stark Towers in a fast pace. She took the stairs two at a time and went into the living room. Tony sat there looking bored as he watched TV.

"Stark?" She questioned with a smile.

He turned around. "Romanoff. First one back. About time. You know I was the only one who didn't have anything important Shield assigned for me. Not fair."

Natasha laughed but inside she grew anxious. If she was the first one back that meant Clint wasn't here. She hoped he was okay even though she knew he would be.

* * *

Natasha was biting her nail in the living room where she was curled up on her loveseat. Pepper and Tony were together on their couch talking quietly with the TV on.

"Not the welcome back party we were expecting," Clint smiled when he and the guys walked in the living room.

Natasha's face lit up with a smile and she stood as Clint walked closer. Pepper and Tony stood to greet Steve and Bruce but Natasha blocked out their talking.

"Miss me?" Clint asked when he wrapped his strong arms around her.

She was about to answer but the moment was broken.

"I didn't." Tony replied with a grin. Clint and Natasha looked at him and Pepper smacked his arm.

"Didn't miss you either Stark." Clint grinned.

"Everyone misses me." Tony said and Steve laughed. "What?" Tony asked turning his attention back to Steve. Clint looked back to Natasha and smiled before kissing her.

He was glad to be home.


	2. The up and down side

Clint kissed her passionately when they escaped to his room.

Natasha was so happy to be back and she knew Clint felt the same. She knew why it was a little easier when they weren't a couple because being separated from him all the time was torture.

But the reuniting part was always fun. Especially when they didn't know when they would be separated again.

He started to slide her shirt up and they turned so her back was facing the wall a few feet from the door. Natasha jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist. He kissed down her neck and stepped forward until her back was against the wall.

She honestly couldn't be surprised when there was a knock at the door. They always had this kind of luck. "No," She whispered when Clint glanced at the door. He laughed quietly and kissed her again.

"Hey, you know I get it. This routine you two have when you get back together but this time's serious." Tony called from the hallway. "Fury's here." He announced when there was no response.

Back in the room, Clint and Natasha looked at each other. Why would Fury be here? They just got back today and he only ever came to assign missions or give information.

They seemed to be debating what to do before Clint sighed and helped support Natasha as she jumped down.

She pouted slightly as she grabbed her shirt from the floor and tugged it on. Clint looked back to make sure she was dressed before he opened the door.

"I heard you, you know. You didn't have to wait at the door." Clint said to Tony's grinning face.

Clint waited until Natasha was by his side before he started to walk. Tony trailed behind. They took the elevator down to the living room and found Fury standing with his back to the wall.

"You three have a new mission. First with just the three of you so congratulations." Fury said in a hard tone. Clint and Natasha both looked over at Tony who was standing in between them with a smile on his face.

"Really?" Tony said. "Awesome. My first official mission with just me. And you two." He added.

"Yes, your location is Russia. A man named Dimitri Kozlov is going to a formal event that you must attend. High-class party for anyone that has the money to get in. Tony will be the distraction. He'll work the crowd while Romanoff moves in on Kozlov. He has information in his home that we need access to. Romanoff I'm sure you know what to do. Barton, you'll follow them and when the time comes take him out and make sure no one notices. He'll most likely have men guarding him, make sure they stay out of the picture. The rest of the information is inside. It's gonna be cold guys. Good Luck." Fury turned and left once he handed them their files.

* * *

"This is horrible." Natasha was pacing in Clint's room while he went over his file on the bed. He glanced up at her. "I just got back from a mission like that hours ago and now I have to leave again." She complained.

"You never complained before." Clint said, studying her. She stopped to stand in front of him.

"Yeah well…" She shrugged. "Seducing men just isn't as fun anymore." She gave a playful grin to Clint. "Don't worry, I won't have fun watching you either." He pulled her down in his lap. "And now Stark has to come. Which I don't see why, we could each do this mission alone but Fury wants all three of us to go." She pondered this and Clint ran a hand through her hair.

"We'll get it over fast and be back before you know it." He reassured.

Natasha smiled and glanced down at his file that was opened next to him. She sighed before she leaned over to kiss him. In two hours they had to be on the jet. If under two hours was all the time she had then she wanted to spent them with Clint. She could always just go over the file when they're in the air.

* * *

Tony stepped onto the jet five minutes after they were scheduled to leave. He had on a fancy suit with some luggage he rolled behind him. One of the pilots took the bags away.

"You're late." Natasha said not looking up at him. She was reading her file and had to learn everything it gave before they landed.

"Do you really need all that?" Clint asked when Tony's bags were pulled away.

Tony sat in the seat facing Clint while Natasha sat next to him. "Yes, I have to look my best. It's not like I get to go to a Russian party every day." Tony smiled.

Clint shook his head and looked out the window.

* * *

They would be landing in twenty minutes. Natasha was going over her new identity. Natasha would be posing as someone named Laura Nelson while Clint was supposed to stay in the shadows and be unnoticed so he didn't need a fake name.

Clint and Natasha would be staying in separate apartments but in the same building while Tony was staying at a high-class hotel since people already knew of him. They all had to act as if they never met. While once the mission was in play, Clint wouldn't even be in the party but Tony and Natasha couldn't get near each other. If people knew he was with the Avengers and they saw him with some girl with fiery red curls some people might put together that she was the Black Widow and her cover would be blown.

The Shield team actually suggested Natasha dye her hair but she refused.

She looked over at Clint. He would be watching her but she probably wouldn't see him until the mission was over. She put her hand over his and he looked over. She gave a soft smile and he gripped her hand. He smiled back just before the pilot announced they would be landing soon.

She took a deep breath and glanced ahead before she looked at Clint who was looking out the window now. She glanced at Tony who was slouched in his chair and looking as bored as ever.

_Let's get this over with._


	3. Two halves of a whole

Clint opened the door to his apartment. He scanned the room before he shut and locked the door behind him. Right away he walked around and studied the room. He checked for exits or makeshift weapons he could use if it came to it. He set his bag on the kitchen table along with his folded bow and unpacked his quiver and some arrows. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a couple of knifes and a gun. He was never at his best with a gun so he only ever brought one or two just in case.

He carried the rest of the bag into his room and set it on the bed. He had clothes in there but wouldn't unpack it. If he did and he had to flee without a trace it would slow him down.

He was wearing a white shirt with a black coat that ended midway down his thigh. He was in simple dark jeans and black boots. It wasn't snowing here but it definitely was cold outside. That simple outfit he was given provided enough warmth for him though. He wasn't one to complain anyways.

* * *

Natasha just finished laying her guns out on the small kitchen table. Her bag that was set in a corner of her room just contained some clothing including the black dress she wore the other day to a party on her last mission that she would wear again.

The party was tomorrow night so she had a lot of time to kill. She pulled off the black jacket she was wearing and set it hanging on a kitchen chair before she sat down. She pulled out her file and went over her fake story again so she wouldn't stumble.

* * *

"_Testing, testing! One, two, three!_"

Tony's voice came loud and clear through both Natasha's and Clint's ear pieces. Clint set down the quiver he was checking on and leaned back on the couch.

Natasha looked up from the gun she was cleaning in surprise at the sudden loud voice before she remembered the comm. was still in her ear.

"Yes?" She asked only showing slightly how annoying that was.

"_Stark, a little more loud, I don't think my neighbors could hear you._" Natasha smiled at Clint's voice and set the gun down.

"_Just checking._" Tony said a little quieter. Natasha pictured Tony smiling, probably sitting on his couch with a drink in his hand.

"_Miss me yet Tasha?" _Clint asked making her smile.

"_Hey, I don't want to hear this. Her name's Laura by the way. Get your facts straight._" Tony said and Natasha imagined Clint's eye roll.

"Better watch it Stark. Clint might-" Natasha joked.

"_His name's Hawkeye while we're here." _Tony cut in.

"_Shut up._" Both her and Clint said at the same time.

"_When do we leave? I'm bored."_ Tony said as if none of that happened. Natasha sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

That night Natasha tossed and turned as a nightmare of her past crept into her sleeping mind. Unaware that over in the next hall Clint was doing the same.

Clint jerked awake and bolted upright in a sitting position. He looked around before taking a deep breath and glancing at the clock. It was almost five in the morning.

He eyed the ear piece on his nightstand where he set it before he took a shower. He reached for it and set in back in his ear.

"Natasha?" He whispered.

Back in her room Natasha took a deep calming breath still sound asleep. She had heard Clint's voice pull her out of her past and she settled into a dreamless sleep where her comm. still in her ear.

Clint smiled when there was no response. Hopefully she was getting a good night's sleep. He settled back into his pillows and fell asleep thinking about Natasha.

He didn't have any more nightmares that night and neither did she.


	4. Secretly together

Natasha slid on the long black dress.

The glossy royal black satin fabric made the gown elegant while fitting her well and adding a flirty tone that drew attention. It was detailed in a halter neckline with a plunging deep V-neck. There was also a slit running on the left leg which is helpful for drawing attention and the extra motion she can use if it came to a fight.

She brushed out her curls to add a more wavy effect and left her hair down. She slid on an expensive diamond bracelet that SHIELD bought to help add that extra touch saying how rich she was.

She put in her ear piece-another good reason to leave her hair down- and checked the mirror one last time.

"Stark?" She called and slipped on her black heels. They weren't that tall really, it was more for the look.

"_Yeeeesss?_" Tony sang a few minutes later. Natasha thought she heard Clint laugh but wasn't sure.

"Are you almost there?" She asked. Standing by the door.

"_Uhh, just about._" He said.

"_Did you even leave yet?_" Clint asked.

"_Of course!"_

"Stark." She warned.

"_I'll be there soon!"_ He said.

Natasha rolled her eyes and waited a few minutes. "_There, I left and I already see the mansion. Pretty cool actually. Does someone live there?_" Tony asked.

Natasha didn't answer. She just opened the door and walked out. She was about to turn into the lobby when she got downstairs but she bumped into someone.

She realized it was Clint. She had to force herself to remember that he wasn't anyone she knew. She did take a second to look him over. He seemed to be in just about the same outfit as yesterday except he went for a black shirt under his coat to help blend in.

"Простите." He spoke in perfect Russian, with a smile. (I'm sorry.)

"Хорошо." Natasha answered with a smile of her own as she moved to pass. She felt his eyes on her as she walked out and fought hard to not look back at him. (It's ok.)

She walked outside and had a car waiting for her to take her to the party.

"_You look beautiful._" Clint's voice sounded in her ear. She forced herself to keep a blank expression as she got in but she was smiling inwardly.

She looked back when the driver pulled away to see Clint walk outside.

* * *

You literally had to pay for an invitation to get in. Luckily SHIELD already took care of that so all she had to do was say her fake name and she was allowed in.

As she swept over the room with her eyes she spotted Tony in the middle of a group of people with a smile on his face.

She looked away and tried to spot her target. There he was, Dimitri Kozlov, standing near the bar talking to a man and women. His hair was dark brown, almost black and was shoulder length but he had it pulled back in a short ponytail at the back of his neck. His eyes were just about the same color as his hair, looking almost black as they met her green ones. He starred and she smiled slightly and looked down as if embarrassed. She walked forward, getting closer to him but turning the other direction. She flashed her gaze to check on Tony. He seemed to be having fun.

She turned to see Dimitri walking up to her.

" Привет" (Hello)He greeted and Natasha gave a warm smile. "Как вас зовут?" (What's your name?) He asked formally while he eyed her up and down.

"Laura," She purred and moved around him. He grinned and turned to catch up to her.

"Приятно познакомиться." (Nice to meet you.) He said and stopped in front of her.

"And you are?" She asked with a slight Russian accent. She knew he could speak English. He smiled at her switch in languages. "Dimitri, Dimitri Kozlov." He said with a heavy Russian accent and smiled. She was kind of surprised. She figured he would have changed his name or something.

She moved around him again but he walked with her.

"Are you new around here?" He wondered and took a sip out of the glass he was holding.

"Yes." She smiled at him as if she was impressed he knew. "How do you figure?" Natasha wondered.

"I would have remembered if I saw a woman like you walking around."

She looked away with a playful smile. "How nice of you to say."

"I could show you around, if you'd like." He said and ran his fingers over her hand as he moved to stand in front of her.

She looked up into his dark eyes, a sultry grin playing on her lips.

"When?" She asked, closing her hand around his and taking a step closer. He took a step closer too and Natasha had an urge to move back. She wasn't sure why but she started to think about Clint. Would he be watching her now? She bit the inside of her cheek lightly to pull her back into her character.

"Whenever you would like." He whispered and brushed hair away from her face.

_What an ass._ She thought but kept the smile on her face. She glanced back at the door she came from and looked back as if unsure if she should say she wanted to go now.

"As you wish," He chuckled and started to lead her toward the door with their hands still locked together. Once they stepped outside she searched for any sign of Clint. She should have known she wouldn't be able to see him and she resisted the urge to let out a sigh.

"_To your left,_" Clint whispered softly.

She looked up and to her left and just barley caught the movement through the shadows on the roof of a one-story building across the street. She rubbed her lips together to keep from smiling and looked down.


	5. Almost made it

Natasha actually convinced Dimitri to walk instead of having his driver take them home. She eased his home into their conversation and found out that she actually already knew where it was. There was no need for him to take her there now.

"_Get him out of sight._" Clint urged.

She nodded to Clint but seemed like she was nodding along to whatever Dimitri was saying. She kind of zoned out but spotted an alley way up ahead. She smiled and playfully grabbed his hand to tug him in. She pulled him in deeper and into the shadows before pushing him into the wall only slightly roughly. She could sense Clint behind her and above her when she suddenly stepped back and moved to the side. He seemed confused just before a black arrow appeared from nowhere and hit him directly in his heart. He let out a short surprised cry before he fell over and landed with a slight thud on the pavement.

Natasha looked up as a black clad figure stepped out of the shadows on ground level. She looked back up at the roof and only wondered how he got down so soon for a moment.

Clint stepped forward even more and a dim light from a street lamp shown over his face. He smiled at her and didn't even look at the body.

"We better get going." He said, stopping a safe distance away in case someone happened to be watching.

Natasha nodded.

"Go back to your apartment and call in Shield, I'll get Tony and follow him to make sure he gets back." Natasha nodded but actually let the thought of how much trouble they would actually get in if Tony was killed on their watch.

She shrugged it off with a sly smile and walked back to get to the street.

* * *

Clint was walking back to his apartment when he noticed movement in his window that was visible from the street. A man was standing by the front door being totally obvious he was up to something.

Clint snuck around behind him, staying far away to not be seen but close enough to hear some of the conversation from the cell phone he held.

"Он там?" (Is he there?) The man near Clint whispered.

"Нет!" (No!) Clint heard the other voice yell. He crossed the street and looked back up at his window. He saw the figure move around then disappear. The man out front hung up and a minute later a new man joined him from inside.

Clint turned and walked swiftly in the other direction. The street was pretty empty so he wanted to get out of their view because he was sure they would notice him, especially since he had a quiver full of arrows on his back. He turned a sharp corner into an alley and noticed a fraction of a second too late that someone was waiting in there.

The mystery man smacked Clint in the head with something hard and Clint stumbled to the ground. His vision blurred but he never gave up that easily.

He kicked out the man's legs from where he was still on the ground and used that extra time to grab his hidden knife. Clint kicked the man still on the ground a few times and he coughed roughly. He didn't stand though but Clint sensed other people moving in on him. He reached back to grab his bow he put it in his bag to avoid attention but he didn't have time to unzip the bag because suddenly ten men were surrounding him.

He pulled out his gun hidden behind him and shot at three of the men before they started flooding him. He sliced at someone's throat as he aimed his gun over his shoulder and shot someone coming at him from behind. His gun was twisted out of his grip but he twirled with it and swung a punch to the man before he could shoot his own gun. He slammed his palm into one of their chests with enough force to send him to the ground. He slit someone else's throat and backed up until his boot hit the guy that landed on the floor seconds ago. He stepped back on his neck and jumped to get over him. He heard a crunch but he was already punching a new man to the floor. He kept hitting until the man didn't move and suddenly a pair of strong arms were wrapped around him. There were two people left along with the original man who hit him in the head at first.

The man who grabbed him made a mistake though and Clint slammed his knife into his chest. The grip was loosened and he jumped away, immediately swinging around to kick the man aside. Now there were a total of two men left. They looked wearily at each other before they both charged. Clint grabbed one of his arrows and slammed it into one of their stomachs. He screamed and fell to the ground. Clint was surprised by a punch the second he released the arrow to fall with the man and he stumbled. His vision started to blur once more and he had to pause and blink the pain away. He already felt blood sliding down his face from when the first bastard hit him in the head.

That pause was all the one man needed though because suddenly a needle was pressed in his neck. The man started to press something in him but Clint turned with supernatural speed and snapped the man's wrist. He punched him down and hit him a few more times. He picked up his gun from the ground and shot the man who was whimpering with an arrow in his stomach.

That's when Clint pulled the needle out of his neck. The liquid was half gone and Clint took a moment to wonder what it was before he fell over and the blackness took over his sight.

* * *

Natasha just got out of the shower and slipped on her normal SHIELD uniform. She was running a towel through her hair when she slipped her comm. back in her ear.

"Almost ready. Where do you want to meet?" She asked and walked out of the bathroom. She slung the towel over her shoulders and started to pack her weapons last.

"Clint?" She asked when there was no answer. A few more moments past and Natasha froze.

"Hawkeye, are you out there?" She called a little louder.

"Hey, Tony." She called, nervously.

"_Yes?"_ He asked right away.

"Is Clint with you?" Natasha asked hoping he was.

"_Nope."_

Natasha closed her eyes and started to unpack the weapons again as worry overwhelmed her.


	6. Not too clear

**Authors Note:**

Uploading now because i wont be able to in the morning!

* * *

Clint forced his eyes open.

Everything was blurry and noises of cars and people echoed and sounded distant. His head was pounding and he was sore and stiff. Clint squeezed his eyes shut and brought his hands up to rub over his face. When he opened his eyes again and looked around he was shocked to still be in the alley. Well at least all blurry it looked like the same but the bodies were gone and he was propped up against the wall. He could just barely remember the fight and what he was doing here. He shook his head and attempted to stand. His world spun but he tried to take a step forward anyways. Once his weight came down on his other foot he collapsed and landed back on the hard ground. Clint let out a groan and rolled to his back, squeezing his eyes closed and trying to think.

"Clint?" He suddenly heard a female voice call. He tried to shoot up in a sitting position and scan his surroundings but pain spread from his head and wound its way through his chest. Clint looked around with only moving his eyes but didn't see anything.

"Is he in his room?" A male voice asked. "No I just left there." The woman answered but she didn't sound too happy. Clint tried to clear his hazed mind but he couldn't remember anything. Images here and there like his parents. He remembered a brother and a carnival. He remembered holding a bow and he realized there was something pressing into his back. Clint took a deep breath and forced himself to roll over. He gripped his ribs and sat up slowly. He squeezed his eyes closed for only a second as pain ripped through him but he found himself able to ignore it and send it to the back of his thoughts. Clint reached back with his left arm and pulled back an arrow. He twisted in in his fingers as he studied it. He turned his head trying to find a bow when he spotted two back packs on the ground near him. He reached and set his hand on one but it went right through and hit the pavement. Clint brought his hand back to rub his eyes and when he looked up again there was only one bag. He dragged it over and unzipped it.

"Clint?" A worried but weary voice called from the mouth of the alley. Clint looked up and was startled back. He looked up at the black clad figure as she stepped closer slowly. He noticed her red curls and the worried and confused expression on her face that he could read just as easily as if she told him what she felt.

"Natasha?" He called quietly, still confused but he knew he knew her.

She relaxed her stance slightly and crouched next to him. "Are you okay?" She asked. Something didn't look right about him. He looked around confused and suddenly brought his hands up to rub on his face.

"Clint?" Natasha asked carefully inching her hand closer to rest on his arm. He starred her hand down and she pulled it back.

"Guys I found him, send back-up but move slow." She said outloud. Clint cocked his head to the side. Then five people walked slowly behind Natasha. His eyes widened and he tried to stand again to quick and he fell into the wall but this time managed to stay upright. He shook his head when someone said something but it was to muddled for him to understand. The people just merged together in one black blob over his blurred vision. He looked down and noticed a syringe.

"Come on Clint. Let's get you out of here." Natasha said in a calm tone as if she were trying to sooth him. He eyed the syringe and reached down to grasp it while looking like he just doubled over. No one noticed as he slipped it in his boot.

* * *

He needed more. Clint shook his head roughly. A man and Natasha were talking in front of him in a small room where he was sitting on the chair. He felt his mind start to clear and he didn't like the feeling. It was uncomfortable. He needed more. The barrel was only half empty. He was just waiting for them to look away.

The man with an eye patch and long black coat glanced at him quickly before whispering back to Natasha.

The man walked out and Natasha said something softly before she followed him but Clint couldn't understand her. He took out the syringe and starred at the clear liquid.

_Do it._

Something urged. Clint swallowed but didn't move.

_You need it. You want it._

Clint let out a breath and moved it closer.

_Do it!_

The voice screamed and Clint shoved the needle into his neck.

* * *

"We have to take tests to see what's in his system." Fury said to Natasha.

"Not yet, he's too- I don't know, freaked out right now. He needs to calm down." Natasha said.

"Fine, what are his symptoms again?" Fury asked.

"He seems like he can't understand anything or see clearly at all. He seems really confused and disorientated. He has a bad cut on the side of his head but they took care of the bleeding while we got here. He has a nasty bruise on his neck. That's where I think someone drugged him with a needle." Natasha said and looked back through the window on the door. Clint was standing with his back to the wall with a perfectly calm expression on his face.

"Clint?" She called as she suddenly ran in.

He didn't even flinch at the sound of his name. She hesitated and stopped a safe distance away just to be safe. His pack they brought in with him was opened and he had his bow in his hand. She eyed it carefully.

He seemed to notice her for the first time and his eyes stared her down. Fury walked in suddenly with a few men holding weapons. That wasn't a good idea, she didn't want to spook him.

"Clint?" She asked and he brought his gaze back to her from where he eyed the new people. Something changed in his expression and she stepped a little closer. He relaxed his stance and gave her a look saying it was alright. She walked up to him and heard the men follow. She placed a hand on his hand that was holding his bow when suddenly he swung and full blown punched her. She slammed into the wall she was right next to and held her face in shock. Clint had an arrow ready in a matter of seconds and shot down one of the guys through the throat. He suddenly had a gun pulled out from behind him and he shot at the men before Fury started yelling for them to stand down and just get out. They all ran out and left four bodies behind. Fury stood at the door while Natasha walked behind Clint. Her number one priority was to get his bow away. That was his most lethal weapon. He simply tossed his gun to the ground and swung back at Natasha using the bow itself as a staff. She blocked it and got a good grip on the end. She tried to yank it away but he didn't budge. He went from focusing on pulling his bow back to suddenly using his legs to knock hers out in a matter of seconds and she was totally caught off guard. He was over her in the next second and got in a good hit before she kicked him off her. When she stood he had a knife in his hand, poised to kill and she wondered why they didn't remove his weapons.

He jumped at her and she twirled away but he snagged a fistful of hair and slammed her in a wall with his body pressing her against it. He slid the knife in front of her and held it to her throat. "Barton!" Fury yelled and Clint hesitated. Natasha was trapped under him and couldn't even mover her legs. She felt totally helpless, something she didn't feel too often. He let the knife disappear from her throat but her threw her to the ground. She got up right away but backed from him. Clint stood frozen as he looked between them both.

He pulled out an arrow suddenly and pointed his raised bow at Fury. "Move." He demanded. Fury held up his hands and stepped back and to the side. While Clint was watching Fury Natasha stepped closer.

"Not you." He said and let the arrow fly. Natasha didn't know how to even start describing how it felt for an arrow to rip into your skin.

* * *

"She's going to be fine. It's a good thing the Infirmary was down the hall."

A SHIELD doctor said to Fury in the hallway at the base. Fury let out a breath and rubbed his hand over his mouth.

"Did you find anything in the room yet?" Fury asked.

"Yes, we did find a syringe on the floor. Did you give him something?" Fury looked up in surprise. "Like a needle?" He wondered. "Yes." The doctor answered with a slight smile.

"No, we didn't give anything to him. What was in it?" Fury asked.

"I'm not sure, it was empty."

"Well start doing some tests. My agent doesn't just lose his mind and start killing people for no reason. Just find out what happened." Fury ordered and walked away.

* * *

Natasha woke the next day and took in a slow deep breath. She felt her stomach and placed her hand lightly over the bandage that was covering the stitches in her upper stomach.

Clint shot her.

She turned her head to look at the wall when her eyes started to water.


	7. Get to the point

"You really shouldn't be walking."

"It's Barton." Natasha simply answered and turned into the lab with Fury a step behind.

"Give me answers Doc, what's wrong with him." She said to a scientist that was running some tests from what little samples they found in the syringe.

"It's nothing I've ever heard of before, it's quite fascinating. Some kind of strong drug. This part here," He pointed to a screen and Natasha just held her hand up.

"Skip the sciency stuff just tell me wants wrong."

"Ok, well…this part you can see inside the drug here," He pointed but Natasha didn't bother to look. "What does it mean?" She urged.

"It's additive. It's very additive so where ever he is, he's probably looking for more right now."

Natasha frowned. "The fascinating part, the drug travels upward through the body, it infects the brain. His senses-well let's just say he can probably can't see too clearly, if that and I defiantly doubt he can hear. But this part, it's very bad. It's, hmm, how to explain…"

"Get to the point."

"It effects how he reacts. He's aggressive. He's going to see everyone as a threat to him and his first reaction, his first thought will be to eliminate the threat." He brought up a new page on the monitor.

"It messes with his memory also. He probably can't remember anything recent at all. He won't know who anyone is."

"But he remembered me. He said my name when I found him." Natasha mentioned.

"Well we did find the needle in the room that you guys had no idea he had, and like I said earlier, its additive, he probably injected himself. He might not have had enough in his system when you found him in that alley to fully forget important people in his life."

Natasha thought about it and looked down.

"If someone did forcefully give him the drug their intention had to have been for him to take out someone." The scientist', Mark Fisher, added.

"So someone drugged him to kill the Avengers? That's who they had to have figured he would be near." Fury said trying to piece it together.

"It's a possibility. We won't know much else until we can run some tests on him but for now, he's an immediate threat. He'll be confused and disorientated with the only intention to be alone and find somewhere safe. If the drug was strong enough and he truly does feel like he wants more he might be on the hunt for whoever gave it to him."

"That almost makes me feel sorry for whoever gave it to him." Natasha mumbled.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Natasha tried to keep from yelling at the Director.

"We need to follow him. He'll lead us to whoever gave it to him."

"No. We need to bring him in. He needs help." Natasha said.

"Romanoff. I get he's your partner and you want to protect him but we have to look at the bigger picture. Someone is targeting the Avengers and if he is going right to him then our best bet is to follow." Fury walked away before she could argue.

* * *

"And it worked?" Michael Jenson asked.

"Yes, did you have doubts it wouldn't?" The man questioned.

"No."

"So tell me again what will happen."

"He will have quite a headache. The littlest thing will aggravate him. He'll see everyone as a threat and take out whoever gets to close. His mind will be fighting against itself. I'll give him five days, tops before his system completely shuts down. He'll be dead by the end of this week." Michael shrugged.

"Good, good. That bastard traitor will be gone and no one will remember him as a hero once he kills SHIELD agents again and hopefully one of his team. I'm hoping on the Black Widow." He grinned and stood up.

"There is something you might want to know about the drug." Michael pointed out. He wanted to point out how additive it was but also that since he relied on making it additive so he would want more, it could easily be flushed out of his system if he survived too long without it.

"You've done enough really." The man said and pulled out a gun to shoot Michael in his head. He sighed and tucked it away as he turned away and started to walk.

"_Agent Grant? Do you copy?"_ A voice called on his comm.

"Loud and clear."


	8. So close

A few well trusted SHIELD agents, Fury and Natasha were all in a room at the SHIELD base. They didn't want anyone to know about Clint's situation. This was top-secret for his own safety. Who knows how agents would react a second time around especially since there was no magic involved to make him snap so easily. They also didn't want it to slip out to the wrong people outside of SHIELD. If enemies figured Hawkeye was exposed and possibly vulnerable, no one doubted people would be lining up to want to get rid of SHIELDs best marksman.

"Think people we need answers and we need 'em fast. Barton is almost fourteen hours ahead, what's his plan?" Fury asked and set his hands on the table as he looked around the chairs at the agents.

"He is probably in Russia by now." Natasha spoke quietly.

"The missing jet we noticed a few hours ago, I thought we already assumed it was him sir." Michelle Warner spoke up. She was good with all things computers and was here to help track Clint down.

"He gets to Russia, what's his next move?" Fury asked.

"He'll try and back track to the alley." Natasha said.

"But Shield already checked it out after you found him. There weren't any clues." Daniel Payne said. He was as close as anyone could get to Clint besides the Avengers. He was there during Clint's last mission with Marcus Carter.

"Romanoff?" Fury looked to Natasha. She didn't think Fury knew about her and Clint being a couple but he knew how close the two were and figured if anyone would know Clint's next move it would be her.

"I'm not sure," She admitted. "But we know where he'll start. We need to head out back to Russia and see if we can spot him."

Fury nodded. "Head out Romanoff. We'll separate and try and locate him. Some will stay and dig for any clues. Fisher will keep working on the drug and see if we can figure out anything new. I'll post the field agents around and keep an eye out for Clint or someone who would be targeting him." Natasha was already half out the room.

* * *

Natasha pulled on a SHIELD black jacket over her uniform as she made her way to where she found Clint sitting in the alley.

She had her hopes up as she turned the corner sharply and scanned the alley. It was empty.

She already checked the news reports around here there were no deaths so she took that as a good and bad sign. Did that mean Clint didn't come back here?

She spent a few minutes searching the alley for even the slightest hint at a clue but there was nothing.

She kicked at a bottle that was on the ground. "Think Natasha." She whispered to herself and looked around. She left the alley and walked around the block. She already check the apartment he stayed in while she was dropping her stuff off at her own.

"If I was Clint, where would I be." She mumbled while scanning the roads and sidewalks as people walked by. She stopped dead in her tracks. She felt stupid that she didn't think of it before. She slowly looked up at the roofs and ran for another alley. She found a rusted fire escape and quickly climbed up to the roof. She scanned the area from this view and jumped along to whatever buildings she could until she got back to where it all happened. She saw something on the floor near the edge and reached for it. It was a knife. His knife. The one he held against her throat almost two days ago. It wasn't like him to drop or forget things. She picked it up and looked around. He was here. He left. That means he has a plan.

* * *

"Эй, в порядке Вы человек?" (Hey, are you ok man?) A young man asked when someone stumbled out from between two buildings. He was scrapped up and using the wall to hold himself up. He didn't seem to hear him so he stepped closer and into his line of sight. That's when the man reacted and he stumbled back a step.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a heavy Russian accent thinking that the man didn't respond because he didn't know Russian but he didn't flinch either as if he didn't hear him.

The man noticed he had a bow in his hand and furrowed his eyebrows. He took a step closer but the man moved to fast for him to react. He lashed out and hit him in the jaw with the bow itself and he fell into the wall. He cried out in pain and gripped his jaw as blood dribbled out of his mouth. He had time to turn back to the man to see an arrow pointed at him before he saw nothing at all.

* * *

Natasha watched from a distance as the man with an arrow in his heart was loaded into the ambulance. He was only dead for about five minutes so Natasha wasted no time with scoping out the crime scene. Judging by how the man fell and the angle the arrow hit, Natasha figured that he kept walking straight. She followed the sidewalk and checked every corner at least twice but she didn't want to get too far behind.

That's when she saw movement sweep between two buildings. She started to sneak up but froze when she heard whispers.

"Who else would it be?" An American accent exclaimed.

"But why would he-?" A heavily Russian accent wondered

"Why does it matter?" The American said. "You have a chance to kill him before Shield can get him to kill you. He's weak and vulnerable. Take him out while you can."

"You say he's a dead man anyways, why tell me to kill him?" The Russian asked.

"Let's just say things didn't go the way I planned." Natasha heard footsteps grow distant and when she couldn't hear them anymore she heard the American sigh.

"Let's hope he doesn't find me. Next time I'll listen to the whole story before I kill them." He whispered and Natasha heard his retreating footsteps.

What was he talking about? She heard them say SHIELD so her thoughts went right to Clint. He knew something. She took off after him but she came to a fork and she couldn't see anyone on either side. She went back out to the street and sighed.

* * *

Jacob Grant shoved his hands in his coat pockets and wound his way through alleys and finally came out onto a busy street. It was dark out but street lamps kept the roads lit. Jacob kept his head down but glanced up at anyone who got too close. He overheard at the lab that the drug was additive and Barton would be trying to find more. So he said he was going to the base here in Russia to help out. He really looked up some people that wouldn't mind having Hawkeye out of their worries though and trust him there were plenty.

That's when he bumped into some tourists and overheard a bit of their conversation.

"Wait, did you say someone was shot with an arrow?" He asked.

"Yeah, a few blocks down, like ten minutes ago." Another man answered. Jacob nodded and walked away. Hawkeye was in Russia. He was in this part of town. Jacob let out a deep breath. _Shit,_ He thought.

How would he know it was him though? Jacob felt comforted that the man couldn't have known that he was the one that wants him dead. He has to be disoriented anyways, he wouldn't even know who he was. Jacob smiled and made his way to the SHIELD base to check in.

* * *

Twenty minutes past and as it got later, the cooler it got outside. Natasha rubbed her hands together and scanned the empty street. She was on a small road that wound behind buildings and intersected alleyways. She knew that Clint would want to stay hidden but then again, he did kill a man right out in the open. She frowned, realizing she didn't know him at all in this situation. She couldn't plan what his next move would be or what he would be thinking right now because he wasn't himself. She wrapped her arms around her, partly to help keep warm and partly to comfort herself. She missed him. She knew he was in pain and she wanted to help him. She also couldn't forget that he shot her. Natasha knew it wasn't him thinking and he didn't know who she was but still. She felt betrayed in a way and hurt.

She froze her pathetic thoughts when she heard shuffling ahead. She saw a shadowed figure stumble out from an alley, clutching the wall before he dropped on his knees and gripped his head. Natasha forgot everything and she ran for him. She knew it was Clint even before she saw his face.

She stopped in front of him. He didn't show any sign that he knew she was there as he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head slightly.

"Clint," She said event though she knew he wouldn't hear her. When he opened his eyes he fell back and grabbed for another knife. She noticed the knife he pulled out was one she got him a few years ago when, according to him, she made him drop one of his favorite knives off a high drop over a river and they couldn't find it in time. She held up her hands and took a few steps back.

"Clint, you're going to be okay. I'm here to help." She said calmly even though she reminded herself again that he couldn't hear. Like before he didn't even flinch at her words. He just squinted his eyes as he tried to see more clearly.

"Whoa, buddy. You don't look so good." The Russian she heard earlier sounded suddenly and stepped into the light shining from a street lamp. Clint didn't break his glare at Natasha since he didn't know anyone was to his left. Natasha saw three more men step behind the first.

"You don't have to do this." Natasha warned, not looking away from Clint.

Natasha side stepped away and smirked when one of the men responded with taking his own side-step closer. Clint caught the movement in the corner of his eye and leapt up. He flung himself at the man who moved and slammed his blade fully into his neck. He let him drop with the knife and the other three moved into his line of sight. Natasha snuck behind and did her favorite thigh-choke move on one of the men.

The first man backed into the wall, he was smart enough to keep out of Clint's sight and stay still while he killed the other man. Clint froze when he was finished and scanned around to see if anyone was left.

Natasha backed into an opposite wall and froze. Clint's gaze past right over her.

"Who told you about him?" Natasha hissed at the Russian. She pulled out her gun and aimed at the man.

"Like I would tell you." He snickered and Clint started to walk away. He fell into a wall suddenly and Natasha had to force herself to not run to him.

* * *

Clint rubbed his eyes roughly and let out a groan. His head was on fire but he felt his ears start to pick up some noises. It hurt. He heard a faint ringing and his ears were popping. He gripped the sides of his head and pushed himself off whatever he fell onto.

_You need more. _A voice whispered in his head.

He wanted more. He was about to keep walking when he heard a faint noise. He turned around and saw a person double over. He cocked his head and saw a flash of red curls.

* * *

Natasha got fed up and shot the Russians thigh. He doubled over and she walked toward him. "Who?" She demanded and forced him into the wall. He was in his early thirties and had an innocent looking face so she wasn't surprised at the tears and the fear on his face.

"Someone from Shield. I don't know. He had blondish hair, tan, in his twenties." He shrugged. Natasha didn't really know anyone like that from SHILED that she could think of.

But in Clint's muffled mind, he pulled up a memory and grinned.

When Natasha pulled the final trigger she let his body fall and turned to where Clint was supposed to be leaning of the wall. She looked around with furrowed eyebrows.

He was gone.


	9. Never the same

Jacob Grant was hurring out the next morning. He heard about four men being killed last night and another found four blocks over with a arrow in his neck. That man was someone else Jacob gave information to about taking out Hawkeye while he was weak.

He hurried through the empty streets at this hour. The sun was just rising and the chilly air was warming ever so slightly.

Suddenly he was grabbed and pulled into a alley. He was slammed into brick wall and punched once before someone was pressing him into the wall to keep him from moving.

Jacob's eyes widened when he saw Clint standing before him. He was pretty scrapped up. His hands were bleeding and he had dirt smudged on the side of his face. He was paler than he remembered and had bags under his eyes. He had constricted pupils that searched over him and he squinted slightly.

Clint just cocked his head to the side and didn't speak.

"What?" Jacob exclaimed and tried to get away but was slammed back.

It's been four days since he was fully injected with the drug. Michael said he would only live up to five, at the most. He cursed again for killing him too soon.

"I-I don't have anymore." Jacob stammered and gave the archer a hard look. Clint leaned a little forward as if he could barely hear.

Clint then backed away and looked him up and down. "No more?" He asked a little louder than the normal tone but his voice was cracked and sounded a little off. Jacob noticed for the first time that Clint was shaking slightly.

Jacob stepped away from the wall and shook his head. He just had enough time to regesture the thought that Clint pointed a gun at his head before the trigger was pulled.

* * *

Natasha was exhausted. She refused to sleep yet and was still walking the city. Fury sent out a few trusted field agents and they were all looking for Clint.

That's when she heard a gunshot. She ran for it.

She saw a man walking in the other direction on the sidewalk. She slowed but brough her hand up to her ear piece.

"I think I found him." She said and read off a address.

She was surprised when Clint stopped and turned around. He starred at her and she looked him over. He looked horrible.

She saw him raise his bow suddenly and she had seconds to move to the side and charge him after he let the arrow loose. She twisted his wrist and knocked his bow to the side. He pulled out the knife she gave him. It had dried blood all over the blade and Natasha held back a shudder. He swung out and she felt the blade bite into her cheek before she knocked his arm away and kicked him in hard enough to make him stumble and fall down. He instantly rolled right over but it wasn't to get up. He started coughing and when he turned his gaze to Natasha she saw fresh blood dribbling down his chin from his mouth.

"Clint?" She whispered and he looked up at his name. She moved closer but he squeezed his eyes closed and fell back to his back as he let out a groan and gripped his head. That's when agents caught up to them.

They surrounded him with guns pointed. Clint didn't move though and Natasha ran to his side. She crouched down when his gaze snapped open. He snapped in an upright position and threw a unexpected punch right to her eye. She fell back and the agents moved to restrain him. They didn't want to drug him since they didn't know what was in his system and sometime during their night they got informed that it can be fatal so they didn't want to risk knocking him out.

Clint didn't struggle though. They actually had to hold him up as the dragged his limp body into one og their cars. Natasha was still sitting there where she feel to the ground. Her mouth was slightly open and her eyes were wide with shock.

_It wasn't him._ She tried to remind herself but when offered to ride with him back to the base, she shook her head.

* * *

Agent Daniel Payne looked over the back seat to see Clint lying across the seats. He was shaking pretty bad but he didn't try to move. Someone from medical was crouching on the floor next to him. He had Fury on the phone who was going over any news they found out on the drug.

Daniel looked back at Clint's face. His eyes were closed but he saw his ragged breathing so he knew he wasn't dead.

He had to look away.

"Hurry." He said to the driver.

* * *

The next morning Fury himself actually flew out here. He walked it the room where they were working on Clint.

"Report." He demanded and stood next to Clint's bed.

"We ran some tests, whatever drug was in his system was unknown but it is actually clearing itself out." One of the doctors said.

"Clearing itself out?" Fury asked, looking over.

"Well, yes. The longer he goes without the drug the better he gets. My guess is that since the maker relied on it being so additive that if he possibly survived any length of time without it, he would always want more and if he were given more, he would of died. Good thing we found him whe we did. He seems to be recovering well arlready."

Fury nodded. "And everything will be back to normal?"

"Well, we aren't sure. Since this is a new drug to us we can the sure of the lasting effects." The doctor looked at a clipboard in his hand.

"He could have anything from, lack of hearing or sight too severe memory loss." Fury glanced down at the archer.

"That would be very bad." He said quietly.

* * *

Natasha starred at herself in the mirror. She was in a borrowed room in the SHIELD base in Russia. She had bruising around her right eye that she was actually trying to cover with make-up. Her right cheek had a horizontal cut toward the middle that needed stitches. She let out a breath and walked out of the room. She went into Clint's room and saw Fury standing alone.

"Director." She greeted. He turned to face her.

"Romanoff. I would have thought you would be in here already." He looked at Clint and she took a few steps closer.

"Yeah, I had some things to take care of." She looked down at Clint. "Will he be okay?" She whispered.

Fury looked over. "We're not sure. He seems stable for now but there could be some side effects after he wakes." Natasha nodded. She hid her emotions well and only after Fury left did she sit next to his bed and let her eyes water.

She went to place her hand over his but something stopped her. She thought about it and pulled her hand back.


	10. Liar Liar

Clint let out a groan.

Natasha stood from her chair and walked to his bedside. She searched over him before his eyes slowly opened. She smiled even though she took a step back.

He met her eyes before he blinked and looked around. "Where am I?" He asked.

"We're at the Shield base. In the infirmary." They left Russia when they said he was stable two days ago.

"Infirmary? Why?" He sat up suddenly and Natasha jumped back in surprise. He studied her with confusion all over his face. "Natasha?" He murmured.

"You don't remember?" She wondered, changing the topic but she didn't get closer.

He shook his head and looked around. "My head feels like it was hit by a train, what the hell happened?" He reached up to rub a hand over his face.

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked with furrowed eyebrows. He looked down as he thought.

"I remember killing Dimitri and following Tony to make sure he got back. Then…" He dragged off and looked deep in thought. "I saw someone, in my apartment. Two people were looking for me so I left. I remember getting hit on the head and a fight, then the next thing I know, I'm here." He shrugged. "What happened? Did I get knocked out?" He asked. Natasha thought about it.

"Yes." She answered firmly and Fury suddenly walked in.

"Barton, you're awake." He said as he walked to stand next to him. He glanced back at Natasha who was so far back.

"Director, can I talk to you?" Natasha asked. Fury glanced between them and nodded before following her out.

"He doesn't remember anything after getting injected." She whispered even after he shut the door behind him.

"I don't think we should tell him what happened." She said suddenly before Fury could respond. He looked at her in shock.

"Why shouldn't we?" He questioned.

"Because…because he doesn't need to feel guilty." She stammered and crossed her arms.

Fury seemed to be thinking about it. "It's not like we have to tell the whole world to get a story straight, only a few people know anyways."

"What if he starts to remember. We wouldn't look too good if we left out a week of his life." Fury said.

Natasha looked down and Fury noticed she was shaking slightly. "Look, you're his partner so if you think this way is best then, ok. I'll let the agents know and I'll send in the doctor to get him cleared to go home. And Romanoff," She looked up at him.

"I get that you might be shaken about the things he did to you but, you have to remember that it wasn't him. Don't punish him for something he doesn't even know that happened, even if you don't mean too." Fury turned and walked away. She had to take a deep breath before she walked back in the room.

* * *

"What happened to your cheek and eye?" Clint asked a few minutes after Fury left. She was sitting in a chair next to his bed when she looked up at him.

She already told him that he was out for a week from drugs the doctors put him on to make sure he healed right.

"I was sent on a mission a few days ago, got hit and scratched by a knife." She shrugged but wouldn't meet his gaze.

He nodded and looked ahead. He knew something was bothering her but she wouldn't tell him.

"Agent Barton." One of the doctors that knew about Clint said as he walked in. "You had quite a hit on the head, how do you feel?"

"Pretty good, my eyes and ears hurt more than my head actually." Natasha met the doctors' eyes briefly.

"Well I wouldn't worry too much about that," He said and looked down at a paper he was holding. "Ok, we're going to run some tests and if all goes well, you should be out of here tonight."

* * *

"I just got a call from Fury. They should be back anytime now." Steve announced when he walked back into the living room.

"Thank god." Pepper breathed in relief.

"Did he say what happened?" Bruce asked.

"No, just that Barton was hit in the head and lost a week of memory." Steve said and looked down.

"Damn, must have been some hit." Tony said.

No one on the team knew anything about what's been going on this past week. SHIELD even covered up all the deaths in Russian and the six agent's total that were killed at SHILED. No one knew anything except the agents that helped find him.

They all grew quiet as they anxiously waited. They all have been worrying since Tony came back without them.

* * *

Clint took off his sunglasses as they stepped into Stark Towers. The light was killing him. He rubbed him eyes quickly before he started to walk again.

He hit the elevator button and glanced at Natasha who was standing a good five feet away. He looked away and let out a breath.

There was a little noise when the doors opened and Natasha jumped. He looked over and she was staring at him.

"I'm going to take the stairs." She mumbled and backed up another two feet before she turned.

"Natasha…" He called and went to follow but she was already heading up. He stepped into the elevator and wondered what happened.

He decided to stop at his room first to drop off his stuff. He quickly unpacked his weapons and noticed right away that someone else cleaned a knife that Natasha gave him. He set it down and scanned his room quickly.

He thought about the last time he was in this room and wondered again what happened to Natasha to make her like this around him.

* * *

Natasha walked out into the living room.

"Natasha!" Pepper called and jumped up to hug her lightly. The rest of the guys walked up to her.

"What happened?"

"Where's Barton?"

"What happened to your eye?"

Natasha glanced at Pepper. "Clint was ambushed and was pretty injured. He was taken to Shield and put on meds to make sure he healed right. He was under for a week and I had to go out to a mission. I got punched and scratched with a knife. Clint's upstairs." She nodded to her own story and looked around.

"Where's Lucky?" She wondered as she settled on the huge fish tank for one tiny goldfish Tony won at a carnival.

"He died." Tony pouted. Natasha actually grew to like the little fish but she smiled inside anyways knowing that she won a bet.

"I'm almost finished building this really cool fish feeder then we're going to buy a new fish." Tony smiled.

"Barton," Steve said quietly. Natasha turned around and saw Clint leaning against the door frame.

"Are you okay?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He nodded and walked toward them. Natasha eyed him carefully.

"Good, we were all pretty worried. We haven't heard from either one of you in over a week." Pepper said.

"And you don't remember what happened after you were hit?" Steve asked.

"No, Nat said she found me in an alley and I was taken to a base in Russia." He shrugged.

Everyone nodded and looked at both of them with concern. They literally dropped off the face of the Earth and not even SHIELD would tell them what happened.

* * *

They had a quick dinner when Clint said he was going to call it a night.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about your guys' routine when you get back together." Tony grinned. Clint glanced down at Natasha who was still sitting down. She was frozen but suddenly stood.

She said her goodnights and made her way for the stairs. Clint followed after her.

"Natasha?" He called from a few stairs behind. She tensed but didn't look back. He sighed and didn't say anything until they got to their floor.

She stopped walking between their two doors and bit her lip.

"Come inside," He nodded to his door as he opened it. He waited a few moments before she past him to go inside.

He closed the door but stayed where he was. Natasha looked around his room before she turned to face him.

"What's wrong?" Clint asked and only took a single step forward.

"Nothing." She answered right away. She knew that he would be able to tell that she was lying but he wouldn't even have a clue what she went through this past week.

He gave a small smile and looked around his room. "Can I come closer?" He wondered and raised his eyebrow at her tense posture.

"Yes, of course." She said after a moment. She smiled and took a calming breath. He walked to his dresser where the weapons he took to Russia were hastily unpacked and he started to put them away. Natasha leaned on the table and watched him.

"What happened while I was out?" He asked and turned to face her a few moments later.

"Nothing," She answered not to soon after with a convincing smile. He smiled and walked to her. She tensed slightly but the overwhelming feeling of separation that has been inside her for over a week since this whole thing started pushed its way upfront and Natasha relaxed.

He carefully cupped the side of her face with one of his hands while he watched her and when she didn't do anything he smiled and leaned down to kiss her. Their lips didn't even meet but the second she closed her eyes a vision of him shooting her with an arrow flashed in front of her and she stumbled a step back.

"I-I have to do something." She said and walked around him. She ignored the tear that fell down her cheek as she left him standing there alone.


	11. More questions

Clint walked into the lobby the next morning. He was planning on getting out of the Tower for a few hours and clearing his head.

He froze when he saw Jane walk in looking kind of lost. She smiled even though his face still looked confused.

"Jane?" He questioned and watched her as she walked farther into the lobby.

"Hey." She said looking confused herself now.

"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time and smiled.

"Well I was coming to stay for a week but I heard you were, I don't know, hurt or something in Russia." Jane answered.

"Oh, well yeah but I'm back." He shrugged with a lopsided grin.

"So where is everyone? Or sorry, were you going somewhere?" She said. She didn't want to hold him up.

"They're in there. I was just going for a walk," He said and she glanced down for a second. "If you want to come?" He added.

"Ok, sure. If you don't mind."

* * *

"And you can't remember anything?" Jane asked surprised. He told her about the mission and the fight then waking up in the Infirmary a week later.

"No," He shook his head and watched his feet as he walked. Jane looked over at him. She noticed he was upset about something he wasn't telling her.

As if sensing her eyes on him he looked over.

"I think something happened to Natasha while I was out." He said quieter.

"Why?"

"She's just been a little jumpy. She said that she went out on a mission while I was out and now her eyes' all bruised and she has stitches on her cheek." He shrugged.

They stopped by a little café/diner where a lot of people eat just to see Iron Man fly by to his Tower.

They sat at an outside table and Clint leaned back in the chair while Jane sat close and rested her elbows on the table.

"So what do you think happened?" Jane wondered. He shrugged and looked up at her.

"I'm not sure."

Just then a waitress came to their table. She had long blonde hair that was half up half down and a nametag on her shirt read 'Beth'.

She opened her mouth to say something but froze as he eyes settled on Clint. He quickly adverted his eyes and turned his head.

"You look familiar." She said finally. Beth had been saved by Captain America and she watched every news report and video on the attack on New York City. She saw the Avengers and it clicked where she recognized him.

"You're an Aven-" She started, raising her voice a little out of excitement. He looked up at her and leaned up in his chair.

A warning past through his gaze and she stopped her sentence.

"Wow, um wow." She smiled and looked at Jane. She knew there was a woman on the team but this woman looked nothing like her.

She looked back at Clint.

She recognized his face which meant that he couldn't have been the Hulk or Captain America who she didn't know what they looked like. He wasn't the woman obviously or the God of Thunder, Thor and everyone knew what Tony Stark looked like. So he was the bow and arrow guy. She didn't know his name but she had seen bits of him in videos during the attack and news reports.

She wanted to ask him about the Avengers but more importantly, Captain America. She wanted to thank him in person. Even though she was unaware that she had actually waited on Steve before this all happened and knew what he looked like.

Jane's cellphone rang and she was quick to answer.

She talked quickly with someone.

"Yeah, we're on our way." She said and hung up after another moment.

"That was Bruce; he wants to see us in the lab." She said. Clint furrowed his eyebrows but nodded anyway and stood.

"We have to go." He said to Beth. She nodded and watched them go.

* * *

Back in the lobby Jane picked up one of her bags and Clint grabbed the other. They took the elevator and he helped drop her stuff off before they went into the lab.

Bruce and Tony were waiting in there.

"Welcome back Jane." Bruce smiled.

"Where's Red Head?" Tony wondered to Clint when he walked inside.

"I don't know Stark." He said not even looking his way as he turned to stand next to Bruce.

"Hey, Tony kind of-without my say in anything- snooped through SHIELD's medical reports." Bruce started and Clint glanced at a grinning Tony before he looked back at Bruce. "A report on you was erased but left behind the blank folder for him to find and a folder report on a new drug was classified and erased before we could look."

"So you found a blank report on me and noticed a missing folder?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, good job with keeping up." Tony snickered.

"We think that they are hiding something about you." Bruce continued. "Maybe they tried a new testing drug on you and that's what was causing the memory loss and headache." He shrugged.

Clint thought about it. It wouldn't be the first time that SHIELD has hidden something from them.

"Ok, what do you want me to do?" He asked.

"We're going to need some blood samples and Tony is going to keep digging and see if we can find out anything new." Bruce said.

Clint thought about it before finally nodding.

* * *

Back at the SHIELD base Fury walked out of his office and stopped an agent that walked by.

"Have you heard from Agent Grant?" He asked.

"No sir. I believe he is still in Russia."

Fury nodded and kept walking. He wouldn't think of Agent Grant for another two weeks.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Here is a link for the deleted scene where Beth really does meet Steve! This site has the other deleted scenes too and more interviews and a lot of other cool stuff so check it out!

/avengers-deleted-scene-captain-america/


	12. New Answers

Clint woke to the sound of knocking on his door.

He scanned his room quickly and settled on the empty spot next to him briefly before getting up and making his way over to the door.

Natasha was standing there in her SHIELD uniform that made Clint look her over in a way that would have normally made Natasha grin and say something playfully but this time she just kept a blank expression.

"Director Fury is waiting downstairs." She said and her eyes softened as she looked him over this time.

"Ok, let me get dressed." He said and her eyes hardened again. She nodded once and they both stood there awkwardly before she nodded again and turned to walk down the hall.

* * *

When Clint met them downstairs, he seemed to have walked in on a serious conversation because they both shut up at the same time and watched him walk closer.

"Barton, how are you feeling?" Fury asked.

"Good sir." He answered and stood in front of him.

"Good enough to go on a mission so soon?" Fury raised an eyebrow.

"A mission sir?" Clint wondered and glanced at Natasha.

"Yes, if you think you're ready. If so you and Romanoff need to head out tonight before the targets keep moving on. Information's in the file, ship out by 0900." Fury handed over the folder and nodded as he left.

Clint looked at Natasha. "We just can't get a break around here." Clint smiled but Natasha didn't seem to hear him. She looked over suddenly.

"Are you up for it?" She asked with a straight face. He never understood why she did all of that, he could always see right through her no matter how hard she tried to block him out and he knew that she was hurting and felt confused.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm ready." He shrugged. She nodded and walked toward the stairs as she opened the file.

He watched her leave but this time didn't try to follow.

* * *

"Yeah, just tell me what you find when I get back." Clint said to Bruce as he slipped on a back pack over one shoulder.

"Ok, see you when you get back." Bruce said.

"Bye." Jane smiled and Tony gave an absentminded wave as he read something on one of the screens.

He said a quick goodbye to the three scientists and hurried out with his bow in his hand.

* * *

Three friends, each charged for murder and kidnapping. Tyler Street, a drug lord is the main leader who is currently in charge of smuggling weapons from unknown sources.

All three are currently in Mexico.

Clint looked over at Natasha who was sitting across the aisle instead of next to him where she usually sat when they were on jets.

He turned to look out the window and replayed her rejection two nights ago. He would get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing he does.

* * *

The next day, they spotted the group in a small three room house pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

"They all have guns on them." Natasha whispered to Clint where they were watching the group through a window. They were well hidden in the bushes and have been watching them for over an hour.

"Yeah, there is only one window too. This might be easier if you get inside first." He looked over at Natasha and it clicked.

"Right." She said and brushed herself off as she stood.

She made her way to the door and knocked. Clint watched her shake her hands out as she loosened up.

He got ready and held up his bow to aim at the glassless window while still staying covered.

When one of them opened the door Clint watched him stare and slowly smile. Clint hear talking from Natasha in Spanish and the guy nodded before one of the others came up behind him.

Clint tore his gaze away and watched Tyler stand up and eye the door but he didn't move which was good because Clint had a clear shot. Which was also perfect because as he took the shot, the two others didn't even notice Tyler fall behind them with an arrow through his heart.

That's when Natasha lashed out with a surprise hit before she pulled out a gun and fired twice.

They all dropped dead and Natasha walked toward Clint who was coming out into the open. "That was easy." Clint smiled. He loved but hated easy missions at the same time. Loved because it was like a little break but then hated because they were boring.

"Yeah, we should be home by tonight. Let's call in SHIELD." Natasha said and walked past him. He followed after her, making sure to keep his distance.

* * *

"This is _not_ good." Tony muttered as he read a screen in the lab. Bruce and Jane looked up.

"What?" She asked.

"Six agent's deaths were covered up inside the SHIELD base last week." Tony looked up at their surprised faces.

"Isn't that-" Bruce pointed.

"The same time Clint lost his memory." Tony nodded.


	13. Truth Hurts

"Finally, sheesh what took you so long?" Tony complained.

"Was I not allowed to drop off my bags?" Clint asked as he walked inside the lab at Stark Towers. "So you found out some stuff?" Clint asked. The three scientists were watching him closely.

"Yeah, Bruce?" Tony gestured to Bruce.

"Well, there were traces of a drug in your blood sample that matched the data we pulled from the classified folder on the drug Shield found." Bruce said.

"So they did give me something new?" Clint asked. He could feel the tension in the room and didn't know what the big deal was.

"We're not sure about that. Tony said. Clint raised his eyebrow and was about to speak but Bruce beat him to it.

"The drug infects the brain. It messes with senses like eyesight and hearing. It's also very additive but it effects how the person reacts too. They would be aggressive. One more thing, it messes with memory. If someone was injected they wouldn't remember anything or one recent at all. But the drug could easily be flushed out of someone's system, which is good but they would suffer some effects, like being unable to remember anything they did when it was fully in their system." Bruce looked away.

Clint watched them both before settling on Jane. What were they trying to tell him?

"There were also six deaths in the Shield base early last week. There were quite a few deaths covered up in Russia too. One wasn't so lucky though and made the news from an arrow through his heart." Tony crossed his arms.

The deadly silence made everything worse as Clint took in what they were saying. He was a step away from shutting down when Tony decided to add something else.

"Romanoff had a nice medical report in that week to. The worse, I would say, was the arrow that was shot into her stomach."

Clint backed up until his back touched the door. He couldn't even think about this. It was too crazy, he wouldn't have done any of that. He remembered the look in Natasha's eyes though and the way she was acting all of a sudden.

He turned and ran out the door.


	14. Not so secret

Clint had a nightmare that night. He didn't realize that what he dreamed really happened because he couldn't remember when it did happen but obviously some part of his brain did.

He woke up and bolted upright.

Clint scanned the dark room quickly before he stood up and paced.

He couldn't believe that he did all those things. He was having a hard time believing that no one mentioned anything about it. Natasha, Fury, they all lied to him.

Why?

Natasha was hurting and she didn't want him to know. Fury had to cover up agents' and innocent people's deaths and didn't bother telling him that he was the reason they were dead.

Clint rubbed his hands over his face and sat at the end of the bed. Why does this kind of shit keep happening to him?

He suddenly heard the soft click of a door opening and closing next door. He perked up and starred at his own door and even though the footsteps didn't make a sound and they didn't walk in, Clint knew it was Natasha. She probably had a nightmare too. Should he tell her that he knows?

Clint looked down as he thought.

He let out a breath and decided he should wait and see if anyone bothers to tell him.

* * *

Natasha made her way down to the gym. She was having a hard time sleeping before she just decided to give up and let out some steam. She walked to the punching bag but didn't move. She bit her lip and watched the bag.

Last time she walked down here in the middle of the night from a nightmare and sleeping alone, Clint had found her and apologized. He made her smile and she knew it could be alright then. But now, she had a feeling that he wouldn't come to her and she wasn't sure it would be alright now.

She hit the bag suddenly as the worst feelings of loneness and fear fought to gain more attention.

* * *

When breakfast was served, there was an awkward silence between all six of them.

Only Pepper was looking around, confused at everyone. She didn't know what Clint did but everyone else did and Natasha didn't know that Clint knew, or the rest as a matter of fact.

Clint looked up and saw Jane watching him. He tried to offer a smile but she glanced down at her food.

"So, uh, what have you three been doing in the lab these past few days?" Pepper asked and looked to the tree scientist.

"Nothing really. Just science." Tony shrugged. Pepper raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"And how was your mission?" She then turned toward Clint and Natasha.

"It was good. Nothing to exciting." Clint answered when it was clear Natasha wasn't. Pepper nodded and gave up as she finished eating. When everyone was done, except Steve who was at SHIELD, instead of gathering in the living room or doing something together, they all went their separate ways. Pepper to her room, Bruce to the lab, Tony to his workshop, Jane to the roof, Natasha to the training room and Clint to the shooting range.

The silence in the tower sounded off to Pepper now but she knew something big happened. She also knew that they wouldn't tell her until they were ready.

She just hoped that was soon.


	15. Apologizes

"Where is everyone?" Steve asked when he found Pepper sitting alone in the living room. She looked up and sighed.

"I don't know. Something happened I guess. Everyone's in a weird mood." Pepper shrugged.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Steve asked as he moved to stand in front of her.

"I don't know. It started- well Natasha's been acting strange since they came back from Russia but anyways, it just happened this morning. Bruce, Tony and Jane were all attached to the Lab these past few days then after Clint got home they sort of just," Pepper held her hands up with a shake of her hand.

"Hm. OK, I'll try and see what's going on."

* * *

Steve decided he would talk to Clint instead of the others and it was easy to find him in the shooting range with his bow in his hand.

"Welcome back." Clint said without looking over at Steve. That was a good sign. Usually if he was upset about something he would stay silent until talked to directly or he got fed up.

"Yeah thanks." Steve smiled. "So, is something wrong?" He just spit out, watching the archers face carefully.

Steve saw the 'no' forming on his lips before he stopped and turned to him. "I did something." Clint said in a quiet tone that made Steve step closer to be able to hear.

"Something…bad." Clint continued and looked down.

* * *

"We all do stuff we regret." Steve said quietly. They were sitting on one of the benches in the gym.

"What should I do?" Clint asked moments later as he turned to look at Steve directly.

"I would talk to Romanoff." Steve answered. Clint looked back down.

"_Mr. Rogers, Agent Barton, Pepper Potts wants to inform you that dinner is ready._" JARVIS announced.

"I'm not eating." Clint said as they stood. He gave a smile to Steve. "Thanks for listening."

Steve nodded and the archer walked out. Only then did he smile.

* * *

"Jane." Clint called so he wouldn't scare her as he walked onto the roof.

She looked up from flipping through pages in her notebook. He walked closer and stood before her. She looked away before meeting his eyes again but this time he was holding out a pencil.

Jane couldn't help the smile that spread on her face.

He returned the smile and this time Jane knew there was nothing to worry about. She easily took the pencil and he sat in a chair near her.

"I'm sorry." She said and watched him shrug. She felt bad for ignoring him and being afraid when he obviously was upset and confused.

"It's ok." He looked over with a lopsided grin. "I would have done the same thing."

Jane smiled and looked down at her notebook before turning to a new page and trying out the pencil.

"Does it work?" Clint smirked.

"Yes, it's very nice." Jane grinned and met his eyes.

"Good, that sucker was hard to find. Not every day an Avenger needs a pencil."

Jane let out a laugh and settled in her chair.

* * *

"Tony, you should say something." Bruce said not looking away from the screen. Tony glanced up from where he was sitting on the counter in the lab.

"Why?"

"Because you didn't exactly make him feel any better." Bruce looked over.

"I just said the truth." Tony shrugged. But inside, he did feel bad. He missed their sarcastic banter but he would never tell him that.

"Ok, ok, fine. I was just saying." Bruce turned back to his work but Tony looked down at the floor. He didn't know how to explain how he felt about finding out everything the archer did at the SHIELD base and in Russia. He wasn't sure what to think about SHIELD for covering it up so easily either.

Tony let out a breath and jumped down. He walked toward the door and looked back long enough to see Bruce smiling.

* * *

Jane laughed. "Tony seriously did that?"

Clint let out a chuckle as he nodded. "Yeah, and that's not the weirdest thing I caught him doing." Clint shook his head when he detected movement behind him.

It took another step before Clint knew who was walking closer.

"Here to join the party Stark?"

Behind him Tony pouted. He thought he had him this time. Jane looked over surprised but instantly started laughing as she stood.

"Don't believe anything he said!" Tony called after her when she said her goodbyes and headed towards the open door.

When they were alone Tony walked around while Clint's eyes followed his movements.

"Hey, I you know apologize for telling you the truth."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry for judging you and all because I know you didn't know what you were doing."

Clint smiled. "It's ok."

"What? Really? You know, I had this whole thing…" Tony gestured his hands in front of him. "Never mind." He shrugged.

Clint shook his head playfully.


	16. Without You

"Sir, we just got back." Natasha pointed out.

"I know Agent. I need you out there." Fury said.

"You've been sending us out a lot together on missions, sir. Is this because of Russia?" She wondered. Fury didn't answer though and seconds later Clint walked in.

"You here with a mission sir?" He said as he walked in.

"Yes." Fury handed out the files and they each took one. Clint flipped through it while Natasha kept a black face and looked to Fury.

"Olivier Montel. He lives in France and landed in Paris late last night. He is in charge of a large smuggling organization around the world and charged with twelve murders just in the past two years. Montel has arranged countless assassinations and is causing a bit of a problem for Shield. We need him taken down. He'll have guards with him and knows how to keep a low profile. Best chance would be to get him while he's on the move but if that doesn't work Romanoff is here to help isolate him and get as much information off him if you can. We still don't fully know what he has his hands on."

Clint and Natasha both nodded at the same time and Fury noticed when Clint glanced at Natasha but she didn't look back. Clint looked back down and closed his file. Fury didn't understand why Natasha wouldn't let this go. They've know each other long enough to trust each other.

Fury was about to turn around when he saw the brief flicker of her eyes turn to check on Clint. Fury turned and smiled as he walked out.

* * *

While Clint packed some clothes into a bag he found he found a few of Natasha's shirts. He starred at them for a moment before he pulled them out of his drawer and set them aside. He was considering telling her after the mission was over with that he knew. He wanted to get past this.

He started to think about the mission. They were put into a safe house in a small house with only one bedroom. It wasn't that unusual because back when they were first paired together and always got sent on a mission together there would be a lot of limited living space. They've had to stay together for short periods of time, hell they had to share a bed once without anything happening.

Clint was wondering how Natasha would react this time though. If they could talk before they came home hopefully everything would go back to normal. He really hoped they did.

* * *

Natasha was packing her weapons neatly into a bag when she stumbled apun one of Clint's knifes. It was a small, slender knife that she realized he had been missing. She twired the blafe in her hands before she remembered him holding it and ready to kill her in Russia. She skimmed the slight scar on her cheek from when one of his other knifes bit into her skin.

She put the knife back and stood up.

She was a mess. She was confused. She wanted space from Clint but at the same time she missed him terribly. Maybe she should just try to forget and go back to normal. Or maybe she should tell him everything that happened.

Natasha stopped and tried to think of the days leading up to the start of all this.

* * *

_She was about to turn into the lobby when she got downstairs but she bumped into someone._

_She realized it was Clint. She had to force herself to remember that he wasn't anyone she knew. She did take a second to look him over. He seemed to be in just about the same outfit as yesterday except he went for a black shirt under his coat to help blend in._

_"Простите." He spoke in perfect Russian, with a smile. (I'm sorry.)_

_"Хорошо." Natasha answered with a smile of her own as she moved to pass. She felt his eyes on her as she walked out and fought hard to not look back at him. (It's ok.)_

_She walked outside and had a car waiting for her to take her to the party._

_"_You look beautiful_.__" Clint's voice sounded in her ear. She forced herself to keep a blank expression as she got in but she was smiling inwardly._

_She looked back when the driver pulled away to see Clint walk outside._

* * *

_Once they stepped outside she searched for any sign of Clint. She should have known she wouldn't be able to see him and she resisted the urge to let out a sigh._

_"_To your left_,__" Clint whispered softly._

_She looked up and to her left and just barley caught the movement through the shadows on the roof of a one-story building across the street. She rubbed her lips together to keep from smiling and looked down._

* * *

Natasha frowned. She would tell him after this mission, no matter what. She just hoped that he forgave her for lying and she hoped she could fully forgive him.

* * *

Natasha sat on the other side of the aisle when she got on the SHIELD jet instead of next to Clint who sat near the window. She couldn't help it. If she wanted things to go back to normal then she had to start acting normal. Baby steps.

She settled into her seat and glanced over at him again. He was looking out the window and she opened her file. Every few minutes she would look over to Clint and this time it wasn't to make sure he wasn't up to anything, but to know he was still there with her.

* * *

Clint didn't think Natasha knew he could see her reflection in the glass. Each time she looked over he tried to think what she could be thinking. Was she watching him to make sure he wouldn't do any surprise attacks? Did she miss him? He knew that he missed her. He wasn't sure if he could forgive himself for what he did to her and others but he hoped she could forgive him. He didn't want to live without her.


	17. Disagreement

"This is going to work." Natasha said sternly.

"It would be easier if I just take them out at a distance. You can just sneak in their place and get the Intel."

"No. They won't suspect me. I'll let them take me and get information quicker then I can get out."

Clint sighed and looked away. He knew he wouldn't win. "Fine, I'll follow you. If anything goes wrong don't try anything stupid." He raised an eyebrow.

"See you later." She said and left.

Clint always hated it when she got captured, on purpose or not it still made him nervous.

* * *

Right on schedule about two hours later Natasha was successfully tied to a chair inside Olivier Montel's house. Oliver himself was standing in front of her and seemed to be studying her closely.

One man stood at the doorway to the living room and Clint knew there were other men throughout the large house.

"I heard you'd be looking for me, Widow." Oliver said with a French accent.

"Can I ask how?" Natasha said innocently as she spat blood. Her eyes hardened and she showed no fear or pain.

"A little birdy, Romanov." Clint rolled his eyes as he watched from a perch on the roof to an equally ridiculously big house.

She left her comm. with him so they couldn't trace frequencies but Clint was reading his lips as easily as if he could hear him. He couldn't see what Natasha was saying though so he only got half of the conversation.

"One of your contacts for smuggling?" Natasha raised an eyebrow. Oliver smiled.

"My smuggling organization is quite complex. More than you know Widow."

"I bet you needed help. You don't seem to intelligent to me to pull this off alone." Natasah said and wasn't so surprised when he lashed out and hit her. She brushed it off like it never happened.

"Was he one of the people you killed? What? He want in on the money?" Natasha said. Olivier turned around. She hit a nerve even though she really didn't know what she was talking about.

He yelled out for someone and three men walked inside.

One walked right up to her and gripped her jaw roughly in his hand. He past pure hatred into her eyes before roughly jerking her free but swung out with a right-hook. She spit more blood and felt the stinging skin on her left cheek.

He barked a name and a different man walked up with a knife. Across the street Clint tensed and readied his bow just in case. He trailed the blade down the same cheek, drawing blood. It wasn't enough to be a life or death situation but it stung like hell. Natasha kept her face under control though and only starred him down.

He ran his thumb over her healing cut on her other cheek going horizontal instead of what he just did. Clint looked away briefly knowing that he caused that mark on her cheek.

"You can't stay out of trouble?" He said not really searching for an answer but she did anyways.

"These kinds of situations aren't what I call trouble." He hit her on her other side and her eye throbbed painfully. Still, she didn't show any emotion.

"What was your goal here Widow?" Olivier asked, walking up to her. He pushed that man away and stood before her.

She raised an eyebrow questionly. "You come to me and yet you barley make an attempt to escape. I tie you in my house and you don't say anything. Is this a trap Ms. Romanov or are you really who you portray. A pretty face with a decent punch. But you're only good for one thing." Oliver leaned down at the last part and Natasha spat some blood at his face.

He lashed out suddenly and hit her in her stomach with enough force to make her try and double over in the chair and gasp for breath. He hit near her still ever-healing arrow wound. She coughed and still looked down at her own lap as she caught her breath. He yanked her hair up to make her look at him and hit her again in her face.

She felt her lip split and warm blood trickled down her chin.

"That's the worse you have? Beat on a girl. No wonder these assholes were planning to overrun you." She nodded to his men standing around the room. That was actually true, while on survalince her and Clint had overheard them talking.

Natasha couldn't help the cry on pain that escaped her lips when a knife was slammed into her left wrist. She felt it slid all the way through and fresh blood oozed from where he left the blade stuck in her skin. She starred in shock and her eyes started to water before she took in a deep breath. She made her face go blank again just before the crash.

The huge window behind her from where she sat in the middle of the large room shattered, or so she heard. Before she could resgister what happened two of the men were falling with arrows in their throats.

Another into the last man and as an arrow pierced Oliver Montel in his heart, more men flooded in. Two more arrows were shot to the men trying to get in before bullets started going through into the doorway. The men retreated long enough for Clint to step infort of her. He had his gun in his left hand and his bow over his chest.

He looked at her with worry as he eyed the knife

"Just rip it out." She clenched her teeth and he grabbed the handle. He eyed her for a second before pulling. She took in a sharp breath and squeezed her eyes closed but she was strong enough to not scream or cry. He cut her loose quickly and turned back to the door.

"Let's get this over with." She said as she stood to his right and raised her gun Clint handed her back. He got out his bow again and notched an arrow as they waited for all hell to break loose.


	18. I know

Natasha slumped against the wall.

Almost thirty bodies littered the ground at Oliver Montel's house. She looked up as Clint walked back into the room. "We're done. I set it up in the computer so Shield has access to everything here." He said and stood before her. He eyed her left wrist. Thick blood was running down her hand.

"Let's get out of here." He said and Natasha was so ready to hear those words.

* * *

Back at the safe house Clint took out their emergency safety kit and went through the supplies.

"We should stitch that up." He said and got out what he needed.

They always took care of their own and each other's injuries whenever they were hurt but for the first time since Krakow Poland, one of their first missions together, when she was hurt so badly that they had to stop and hide away in the shadows to fix her up even a little before they could go on, he wondered if she would let him stitch her up since everything that's been happening lately. He set out the stuff on the small table in the kitchen and sat down.

She slowly made her way over and eventually sat down next to him.

He waited for the confirmation before he gently took her hand and examined her wrist. "Jesus, Nat." He breathed. "Can you move your hand?" He asked. She responded but slowly flexing her fingers but that was it.

"This might need more than just stitching but it will have to do until we get back." He said and got to work. Natasha was grateful Fury made them both go; she didn't know what she would do without him.

* * *

When he was finished he wrapped her wrist in a bandage and cleaned the cut on her cheek. She noticed and pointed out the scrappes on his hands and the cuts on his arms along with a cut near his hairline on the right side of his forehead.

"Yeah, that's what I get for going through a window." He shrugged. Natasha actually smiled.

He started to pack the supplies before he stood to put the kit away. Natasha sat there quietly as she thought. She looked up at him as he grabbed a Gatorade from the refrigerator and leaned on the counter as he drank.

"Clint, I need to tell you something." Natasha said and stood up but she didn't move closer. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to keep going. "In Russia, after you were ambushed, something happened that I didn't tell you." She said sounding guilty and sad. She opened her mouth but she didn't know how to tell him. He stopped her and walked a little closer, leaving the Gatorade behind on the counter.

"I know." He said. She looked up in surprised.

"No you don't. Clint I lied-"

"I know." He said softer. Natasha closed her mouth and watched him carefully.

"When-?"

"After we got back from Mexico, Tony found some interesting stuff on the Shield computers." He said and looked down briefly. Natasha stayed quiet as she took this in.

"Clint, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you or scarred or anything. I'm sorry for lying." She said quickly.

"_I'm_ sorry Nat. I hurt you that week; you had every right to be confused."

Natasha looked down but after a moment when she looked back up she was smiling.

"I missed you." That caused Clint to smile back. "I missed you too."

Clint walked the last few steps before cupping the side of her face gently. Her face was pretty beat up but would heal in days. She smiled again and leaned up to kiss him.

Their first kiss in weeks.

* * *

The safe house with one bedroom was small enough that it really only took about three steps to be in the room. Natasha was the one that was stumbling backwards as their kissing increased so she was surprised by the bed being so close as the back of her legs hit the bed and she fell back onto it. They laughed before Clint was climbing over her. One of his hands snaked between them to the zipper at the front side going down her SHIELD uniform.

When the zipper ended his hand skimmed the bare skin of her stomach. That's when she felt his finger skim her scar from the stitches it took to heal the arrow wound. He paused and glanced down. He felt horrible about what he did to her. What if he killed her? Why did he shoot her stomach anyways? He always went for the kill.

"It's ok," She whispered and placed both hands on his face to get him to look at her. She leaned up to kiss him again and everything they have been fighting these past weeks separately were behind them.

* * *

When they returned to Stark Towers late morning the next day, they walked in hand-in-hand. They found everyone in the living room and they all smiled and greeted them. Pepper noticed things were back to normal if not better between the two and the rest of the team seemed better about whatever was making them act weird a few days ago.

As long as it was done and dealt with Pepper didn't want to know what happened between all of them.

They moved to sit in their loveseat.

"Hey Legolas, heard you went through another window."

"Hey Iron Ass, heard you fried a fish."

It was true. While they were gone Tony finally got Pepper to buy the new fish to try out his robot fish feeder. He was kind of electrocuted and Pepper refused to buy another fish even after Tony tweaked the robot.

"That wasn't my fault!" Tony called with a smile.

"Yes it was." Bruce said.

"You and Steve should take the fish tank down so he won't be tempted." Pepper said. Shaking her head but smiling at Tony. Clint nodded and Steve agreed to start after lunch.

Natasha smiled at her team. They were all one of a kind and she wondered how she put up with them most of the time.

But they were her friends and she wouldn't want it any other way.


	19. Normal

Clint and Natasha were in Clint's room when they woke that next morning.

Natasha smiled as she stretched then curled back against his side. Clint kissed the top of her head and she sighed happily. They were glad everything was back to normal.

"_Agents Barton and Romanoff, Director Fury will be arriving in two hours for a report._"

They both glanced at each other. He rarely gave a heads up or warning before he showed up. Why would he do that this time? Natasha stretched again and sat up before glancing back at him and putting on a sultry grin.

"I should probably take a shower." She stood up and stretched once more while Clint watched her. She turned back to give a playful wink before disappearing into the bathroom.

"Yeah, me too." He said and jumped out of bed.

* * *

"Good morning lovebirds!" Tony called when they entered the kitchen later that morning for breakfast.

"Did Fury leave yet?" Steve asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yes." Natasha answered and sat in her spot while Clint snooped around the kitchen where Pepper was making them all pancakes.

"Good." Tony smirked.

Clint hit his shoulder playfully as he past to sit in his seat.

"I'm gonna get you back one day Barton." He pointed his fork at him.

"Good luck with that." Clint smirked.

"Breakfast!" Pepper called and set the plate of pancakes on the table.

Thor took eight all at once while every else took around two. He was still the first to finish. "When are you leaving again Thor?" Steve asked.

"I shall leave way to see Jane tonight then before long I must attend back to Asgard." He said in a loud tone this early in the morning.

They were getting used to him coming and going.

After breakfast Thor left to his room for something and they all gathered in the living room.

"This is the first time we have been together in a while. We should do something." Tony said.

"Like what? Go to another Carnival?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"No. What about a movie. I hear superheroes are very 'in' right now. Or an action movie. Anyone know a good action movie out?" Tony asked.

They all shook their heads. They were all the worst people to ask about things like movies. Steve wasn't around for all the movies that came out over the years and now he can't keep up with them since he came out of the ice. Thor still didn't understand how movies worked and he obviously would know any Midgard movies. Bruce usually didn't keep up with any movies. Clint and Natasha had a busy and complicated life so they never knew any movies. So basically it was Tony and Pepper catching them up.

"Hmm…I'll have to plan a list of things to do when we're bored or all together." Tony said.

"If you have to." Clint sighed with a smile.

"Of course I have to. Actually I'll start now." He stood up and paused dramatically before leaving.

"I should make sure he doesn't put anything too…_creative._" Pepper said and stood up to follow.

Something beeped and Bruce took out a cellphone-like device and read something. "Ok I think it's ready." Bruce said looking at Steve as he stood.

"What?" Natasha asked when they stood.

"I'm working on his shield in the lab, doing some tests." Brue answered and they walked out.

"I feel like we just cleared a room." Natasha said.

Clint chuckled as he looked at the empty seats.

"More time for us." Clint shrugged and sat back in his chair.

"We should go to the gym." Natasha said suddenly. Clint looked over and nodded.

"We haven't sparred in a long time. Want to make sure I can still beat you." Natasha smirked and stood up.

"On your best, maybe, sweetheart." He teased as he stood. They both respected each other's skills and knew they were pretty evenly matched. That was saying a lot seeing how Clint was better at a distance but he was still literally the one person that could even keep up with her in a fight. Natasha loved that about him, even though she wasn't fond of it when they first met.


	20. First Time

About an hour into their workout Fury called through JARVIS to say each would be receiving a mission within the next few days and wanted to make sure they felt fit to go out in the field again.

They each told him they were fine and Fury expected nothing less, that's just how his best agents were.

They continued sparring for another hour before they decided to sit up on the roof to cool off in the cooling dark air. They haven't been to the roof in a long time even though they used to come up there a lot. They could stay up there for hours, perfectly at ease in each other's arms.

* * *

A cool breeze swept over them and Natasha snuggled closer.

It was dark out and Clint and Natasha were sitting at the edge of Stark Towers looking over the city.

Clint's arm that was wrapped around her pulled her closer. "I wish we could stay out here forever." Natasha smiled.

"That would be nice." Clint smiled. "Just you and me."

"Until something separates us." Natasha sighed. Between missions, the Avengers and SHEILD their time together is limited. The thought that one of them might not come back from a mission was always in her mind but she refused to think of that as a possibility.

"I'll never leave you, Natasha." Clint murmured and Natasha looked up and kissed him softly. "I promise." He finished and she sighed with perfect happiness.

"I love you, Clint." She whispered for the first time.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

The end!

Im finished with both my stories and now am working on another. But before i get that up i will be posting a few short one-shots, pre-avengers and in the 'Adjusting' universe of how they came to be and how their friendship started. So keep your eyes out for those!

Thanks for reading and hope you liked!

Review please!


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